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There is no culturally neutral way of being contemporary

The problem with seeking to be culturally relevant, as a church, is that culture isn’t as homogenous as it used to be and there is no culturally neutral way of being contemporary. What can be culturally relevant for one person can be culturally irrelevant for another person, and that’s a fact whether we like it or not. As such, I think it’s time we abandoned the project of searching for one style to rule them all and recover an emphasis on substance. Encourage people to explore their own style as they can, for worship and everything else, and encourage them to look through disagreeable styles to the substance underneath when they can’t. Of course, that puts an onus on leaders to make sure there is substance underneath.